Tuesday, 30 September 2008

OK, so really really enjoyed the weekend, and actually even though I am knackered, it was great to get out of the house and not get overwhelmed by work which was what was happening, foot is much better although kind of stiff, I can walk, so that means I can dye wool, although it is pouring with rain, so I am kind of trying not to think about it too much.

Although, along with the fact that I am nearly out of scrumptious solids, so that needs to arrive from afar, spindles have to make it here, Du store alpakka (which I know will be fine), but can't fit the stand in my van, and I haven't started dyeing yet because I have to finish orders and clubs. Gulp.

So while I was lying in bed this morning I got a text from down stairs saying, 'your gohonzon (buddist scroll that I chant to) is missing its gongyo, (the act of chanting)' from Elly, which made me laugh and laugh and laugh, so I did, and plenty of it, and I feel ok, and relieved that I have Elly to help me, and to make me chant because it stops me loosing the plot, lol!!!

So, I am off to wrap up warm, and venture out into the garden, dye some yarn for the clubs and dream about a holiday in Dubai, where I do nothing except lounge on a warm beach drinking cocktails, and there is no yarn anywhere, absolutely none, and there is no rain, so the person that dangled that little carrot, you'd better get counting your airmiles..........

Friday, 26 September 2008

I twisted my foot today, now it has a hug lump on it and I can't bloody walk, let alone drive to chester, so I sent a huge box of yarn up to chester, and I am catchng the train up tomorrow morning because I can't drive. So didn't really finish all my dyeing I was meant to, and instead sat and ate chocolate biscuits, drank tea and finished harry Potter.

Was slightly frustrated, and nearly drove Elly mad with requests, but hey, I guess its a sign, need to take it a bit easier :-(.

So if your coming tomorrow, look foward to seeing you :-) just don't expect a hug, seeing as I'll be confined to a chair with my knitting.

Wednesday, 24 September 2008

Needles at the ready.innocent drinks are running their Big Knit campaign again this year to helpraise money for Age Concern to keep older people warm over the winter. They'relooking for knitters to knit lots of little hats for their smoothie bottles, foreach one sold they and Sainsbury's will give 50p to Age Concern. Last year over400,000 hat were knitted raising £200,000 for Age Concern and this year they'reaiming for ½ a million hats!

That may sound like atall order but with a Big Knit blog and fantastic new hat patterns for you totry each week there is plenty of inspiration. There will be competitions inSimply Knitting and Let’s Knit out in the middle of September and Knittingmagazine is showcasing hat patterns from the well-known hand knit

Monday, 22 September 2008

I am just about to leave for the depths of my shed to get my work done. Had a fun weekend, Remi my adorable freind came to stay from Japan, sadly for only 2 nights, it has been 2.5 years since she lived with us, and we have a very very special connection, I love her so so much, she was 18 last time I saw her, now she is beautiful young woman, and I am so proud of her. I made the determination that I am going to stay with her in Japan next year. She bought me such cute presents.....

A felted cake book, which as in all japanese books the diagrams are so good, you don't need to understand the text, and the weird thing is that I decided I wanted to do peice of artwork with lots and lots of cupcakes on it, a huge picture to go behind my sofa. So now I don't really have an excuse, I think I will mix knitted, crocheted and felted cupcakes....

Thursday, 18 September 2008

I don't really need to say much more do I? Taking advantage of this gorgeous weather to get all the wholesale finished, getting there, but sometimes when you have to dye 4 kilos of one colour, it makes you really really really hate that colour, and you never ever want to see it again...

ooooh just remembered, have a new lace weight, but this is serious lace weight, it has 3000m per 100gms, its gorgeous, and its pure silk and it damned thin, and even better retails at £15, not bad huh? Will take photo's tomorrow.

Wednesday, 17 September 2008

So, seeing as the new website is being designed and built I need to work on my skills of photography to match the image, and my pics are a bit hit and miss, it normally depends on the weather lol.So I invested in some proper kit to take them so I can stop stressing about it, and here is the result of this mornings messing about, not bad I think.....

Elly's Spinning

Red aran scrumptious

New hat pattern

gorgeous scrumptious.......

I have lots and lots to practice, but I am getting the hang of it. Am so so so excited about the new website, I would love it in time for Allypally, but you know......

Monday, 15 September 2008

slightly head scrambled, but its ok, have Elly, would be drowning other wise!!

ok, so Birmingham was really good fun, I was next to the spinners and weavers guild, so I really really enjoyed that, got to try out lots of spinning wheels, and the one I kept loving was the Kromski Sonata, I will have to have one eventually, perhaps I will treat myself after Allypally.

So, I will update the shop this afternoon (about 4ish), but I have to take Sophie to the vets first, her blind eye is looking really dodgy, although she doesn't seem to be bothered, poor little monkey.

Friday, 12 September 2008

It's Elly, Jen's second in command (well, maybe I'm third in command... or fifth maybe, after the cats?). And yes, that is the best photo I could manage.

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that while Jen is away at Birmingham this weekend I have put a mini update in the shop - 2 self-striping sock hanks in Lime Lizard (I only have those because they were still too damp to go with Jen when she left on Wednesday), and the rest is stuff that I've put in the category of 'Clearance' in the shop. This is stuff that hasn't sold for quite a while. It is at least 50% off the usual price, and if the first batch of stuff sells quickly, then I shall put some more up.

But only if it sells quickly, because I'm not great at taking pictures, and it takes quite a while to upload it all. I'm glad I don't do it every week! That is one thing that I will not be taking over permanently!

I want to get all the random odds and sods out of the yarn room, so I can make it super tidy and to make space for the extra yarn and fibre that Jen will be able to dye now that I am doing some of the admin side of the work!

I've just spoken to Jen and she says to tell you that she is having a great time, and that her stand is next to the Spinners and Weavers Guild stand. What's the betting she comes home with a table loom???

I have sent all the parcels that I can, although there are still a few outstanding, which will have to wait until Jen comes back (Monday). Sorry, but you wouldn't want me to send you the wrong thing, would you!?

And to those who are placing orders over the next few days:

I solomnly swear to send those grey packets out to you just as fast as I can.

Wednesday, 10 September 2008

OK, so this afternoon I am setting of the the stitching show in Birmingham NEC, never been there before and so I am not exactly sure what its going to be like, but thats ok, I have replenished lots of the yarn, but am still debating whether to do a little update or not, but we'll see how I get on with packing the van, lol.Anyway, I have a few garments which are previews for the scrumptious book, so I am mightily chuffed to have those.

So, the postman just knocked on the door and asked for my signature, and teased me for being in the echo, I was kind of hoping noone would notice.......hehehehe, yes Judy, I am a media Hor ;-p

Tuesday, 9 September 2008

Blimey charlie, I am in the echo newspaper, on page 25, and there is a wholepage picture of me modelling one of my cardi's. Its an article about knitting, and stitch and bitch, absolutely fabulous, apart from spelling Fyberspates wrong, and one or two other things, its totally great, lol!!!!

I bought a few copies for my mam, and sheila lol.

ok, updating shop in the mo with some bits and peices and then I need to dye wool for birmingham.

Monday, 8 September 2008

OK, it was totally the madest day ever, so much fun, but soooooo busy. Was going to update the shop.......um, but there is no stock left.........gulp. No stock currently for birmingham (Don't worry though, there will be.....) I will update the shop tomorrow morning.

It was so much fun, (This is Elly's account of the day, v funny) we woke up at 5am to get there, and we found it no problem, and from that moment on it was so busy, I saw lots and lots of my fav customers, it was just fabulous!!! Elly had a great time too, but we didn't even have time to take photographs.

Met the Yarn Harlot, and she is a complete delight, and she liked my one and only pink and lime self striping sock, lol!!! I even got a book signed, so I was mightily chuffed with that.I didn't get to see the talk, but Elly did, and by the sounds of it, it was really really good.

It truly was a fabulous day. Anyone got pics on their blogs, and I'll link to you......xxxxx

Friday, 5 September 2008

Ok, so I finished the first sock machine sock this morning, now all the clubs have gone I feel less guilty, lol. Its not quite long enough for suspenders, but is just over the knee, and with some elastic will stay there perfectly. But have to go and buy some shoes this afternoon and maybe a little kilt/skirt to go with them :-)

One or two little holes, but each time I do it it gets better:

How exciting!!!!!

So we are driving down to Iknit in the morning, very very early, but you can all meet Elly, and I have so many treats for the stand its one big bright blur of colour in my house at the mo.

See you tomorrow, and if not tomorrow, then shop will be updated on Monday, I will take most of the lace, sock and fibre stock off about 5pm, so if you have been thinking about buying something you have till 5 to do it.

Thursday, 4 September 2008

OK, so getting way too excited about Saturday (Iknit show with the yarn harlot) I cannot wait, I have a whole new stand, (no more piles of yarn) well, actually that depends on the stand we will have, I have heard something about market style stands, which are not exactly practical, but could be fun, lol!!!

Then guess what else? I am doing the show in Birmingham NEC next week, I haven't ever done it before, so it'll be fun to see what it is like :-) I am on stand J21 any one got plans on going?

So yesterday late afternoon it was raining so damned hard I gave up on dyeing, although tucked in my little workshop, the rain was lashing down so hard that the doors wouldn't stay shut from the inside, so I warmed up and set up my sock machine, its been calling me for a few days now, and after seeing Sheila use hers, I kind of understood alot more how to use it. I made a couple of tubes, then set about trying a heel. I made about 5 heels, all with silly holes in them, until I got to the 6th, and changed my technique, and then I got a near perfect heel, the reason is I want to wear thigh high self striping socks on Saturday, possibly with suspenders or something similar holding them up, what a complete laugh that would be huh? But obviously I have to make them on the machine, so tonight seeing as stitch and bitch is at mine, I will be practicing the toe, and maybe making them, Just not sure what colour to choose......

Anyway, want to see some pics?

Ok, this is the first attempt at the heel, which was a complete disaster, in fact about 4 looked this bad.....

Next was the best attempt, the hole was where I did it the previous method on the first stitch and then promptly changed it:

Much better huh?

Then here is a nice long tube I made with a skein of Autumn self striping, how lush is this:

Ignore the mess, no damn it, stop looking!!!!!

OK, and here is a closeup:

I just want to spend the whole day on the machine, but I mustn't, have so much dyeing to do its unreal.

OK, so votes for a mini skirt and full length socks and possibly suspenders on Saturday?

Tuesday, 2 September 2008

So the past couple of weeks have been a bit challenging, money wise, time wise, all sorts of wise, lol, but I knew it wouldn't last forever,I just had to keep smiling and work hard. Yesterday I was skint, tired, fed up and completely affected by all the talk of recession.

Then I woke up this morning, and the sun was shining through the window. Monkeys were purring happily on the end of the bed, I could hear the clinking of washing up in the background. I wandered down stairs, to find all my washing out on the line, the kitchen tidy, had mild panic how I was going to finish all work on my list for today. 'Thats ok' said Elly, 'I will pack shop orders and clubs, you go and do some dyeing', I sort of blinked, nearly cried; whelmed up with extreme gratefulness, found enough coffee to make a large cup, cut a large slice of fig and raspberry cake(oddly which was made from random garden and cupboard ingredients) and wandered down the to the shed and switched the radio on. I felt like an old husband who was fussed by his wife.Money sorted itself out too, and actually, no actually!!! working on wholesale orders today, and will hopefully be able to get them finished.

Am happy, really really happy, I feel like all the strain just melted away this morning.

PS, secret person, thanks too, you always make me smile and laugh when I am miserable, and also Karen, lovely lovely lady who also helps and regularly supplies me with random fruits and veges, and knitpicks needles, I feel like I don't thank you both enough.

Monday, 1 September 2008

When fyberspates grows, it always results in me being so busy I struggle to keep up, and also I end up eating pasta for a week, this week I have lived on crumpets, I never want to see another damned crumpet as long as I live.

But 3 things keep me going....

1. new website is going to be mind blowing.

2. Elly arrives in 1 hour and 59 minutes.

3. At least if I loose weight due to no food some of my old clothes will fit.